Journey survived a lot of bullying. The skills he mastered to protect himself weren't the skills he needed to create a life he loved. Journey says, "I used to be mean, but Goodman helped me become a better person. My whole life is better. I'm doing well in school and I'm super involved - youth council, poetry slams and service projects. And now, my future looks exciting, too."

Reserve our rooms for weddings and meetings

The Center has rooms available for use for events and meetings of all sizes. We have facilities suited to a wide range of activities, from small group meetings to ballroom dance to batting practice. We can also provide catering for your event.

We opened our doors in 2008. With 34,000 square feet of space, we have a variety of rooms available for use from small meeting rooms to classrooms to large areas suitable for wedding receptions. In addition to the renovated Kupfer building, the Center also includes a 12,000 square foot gymnasium, an outside green, a splash pad and a direct connection to the Capital City Bike Trail. The Center offers wireless access throughout the facility.

For private events and parties:Contact Kristi Kading, Facility Use AssistantEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: 608-204-8062

For classes and ongoing meetings:Contact Margo Tiedt, Facility Use ManagerEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: 608-204-8028

Not sure which is right? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Goodman Community Center does not endorse or support any political or religious groups using space at the center. Any political or religious group is a private facility renter.

The Evjue Community Room

Evjue Community Room D is the beautiful and large community room on the south end of the building. The room has 19 windows that face both Waubesa Street and the Capital City Bike Path. The room is carpeted and also features a rough hewn oak wall. Evjue D seats up to 140 guests banquet style. When the moveable wall is opened to Evjue Room C, the room will accommodate up to 175 dinner guests. Please note that with room set ups to accommodate buffet tables, head tables or stage risers, seating capacity for guests may be significantly reduced, and some room arrangement may be needed by you during your event. Take a 360° Google Tour of the Evjue Room (and the whole building)

Evjue Community Room + Merrill Lynch Room

Merrill Lynch Room

Merrill Lynch Room / Evjue Room C has five windows that face Waubesa Street and also has a sprung wood floor. Evjue C is adjacent to Evjue D and separated by a movable partition wall. This room is larger than Bolz B, and will accommodate up to 40 persons, seated at tables, for a meeting.

Bolz A Room

Bolz Room A has nine windows that face Waubesa Street, carpeted floors, an attached service kitchen (additional cost) and will seat up to 72 individuals. When movable partition wall is opened to Bolz Room B, the combined space will seat 100.

Bolz A & B Rooms

Morton Mezzanine Meeting Spaces

The Morton Mezzanine meeting spaces are tucked high up into the building’s clerestory (raised second story). Glass panels surround the spaces, making them beautiful. They are designed for casual meetings for nonconfidential meetings as the space is not soundproof. These are the only non-handicapped accessible spaces in the entire building. Conference tables and seating are designed for meetings for groups of 8 (Mezzanine B) or 12 (Mezzanine A).

Gymnasium A or B

The Gymnasium space is available for parties and events. Gym use can include activities such as basketball, volleyball or children’s activities (additional charges may apply). There is also batting cage available (and baseball pitching machine). Space and times are very limited.

The Lussier LOFT and Lussier Teen Center

The LOFT and the Lussier Teen Center are drug- and alcohol-free informal spaces designed for private parties/activities for or by youth (with some restrictions). Room use may include the game room and concessions seating area and/or the LOFT performance space. The teen center/LOFT can accommodate up to 150 guests for dance events, however, seating is limited to 80. All events must end no later than one half hour before City of Madison teen curfew. Adult chaperones must be present for the duration at all events.

We make it easy to serve great food

Facility users are allowed to bring in prepared food, prepare your own food in GCC’s service kitchen or use one of GCC’s approved caterers. The Goodman Community Center also offers its own in-house catering service option through the Working Class Catering program. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased and served through GCC’s in-house catering service.

Blue Plate Catering | Bunky's | Cranberry Creek | Manna Café | Willy Street Co-op | Gaylord’s | B’tayavonThe caterers listed are full service caterers. This means they required to stay onsite attending to tables and needs until the end of event. All caterers should use our service kitchen space at the Goodman Community Center. For catered events greater than 50 people, the service kitchen should be reserved by the event organizer to accommodate food prep and proper food safety. A service fee of 12% of the food bill is required to be paid by the caterer, and a service contract must be in place along with proof of insurance and license.

Regarding serving alcohol: GCC holds its own liquor license. Any event that plans to serve alcoholic beverages must purchase and serve all beer/wine/liquor through GCC according to all WI alcoholic beverage laws. No carry-ins are allowed.

Need a great caterer?

Our in-house catering company, Working Class Catering, is a great option if you are hosting an event here at the Center, and they do catering in the community, too. From coffee and cookies to a full banquet, we offer a wide variety of catering options to suit your specific needs. Every dish is prepared on site, from scratch, with a focus on fresh, seasonal menus.

Our catering company is unique to Madison. It is a part of a vocation program (Teen Education and Employment Network, TEEN), offering teens work experiences that help them develop marketable skills. The teens are not only learning how to prepare seasonal, local foods to professional standards, they are also learning how to plan menus, deliver quality catering, and provide great customer service. They work side-by-side with top professionals, so you can be assured that you are providing the best for your guests.

Things to know when scheduling an event

The Goodman Community Center strives to keep our rates affordable for everyone in our community. This does mean that we expect our facility users to support the event’s clean-up. Be aware that there may be other events and activities elsewhere in the building.Some key tips:

GCC does not have an event planner on staff. You are responsible for details of your event.

The Goodman Community Center is a busy community space. Be respectful to those attending other events in the building during your event.

GCC expects all facility users to clean up the space immediately after an event is finished. We ask that you sweep the uncarpeted floors in the space you use and require wiping all tables, chairs and windowsills if you have any food or beverages.

Questions to help with your planning:

Room/s desired: Do you already know which room you want?When: What date/s and time/s could work for you?Class or series: When is the first and last date that you'll meet?Transition time: How much set up and clean up time will you need?Public or private: Please let us know if it is a private event or if it is open to the public.Event title: What should we call your meeting/event on the contract?Number of guests: How many people are you planning for?Contact information: Who has the authority to confirm plans and make decisions? Who will be the contact person the day of the event?Billing address: Where do we send the invoice? To whose attention?Non-profit?: Have your tax exempt number handy, if applicable.Music: Will you have live music, a deejay or other entertainment?Other amenities: What AV equipment, tablecloths, etc. would help with your event?

We use an online reservation system to keep track of room reservations at the Goodman Community Center.

How to read our calendar:

To find available rooms: Blocks of color any color indicate a room reservation. You'll likely see that many times for many spaces are booked well in advance, making it tricky to find a time. Throughout the year, we have programs for preschool through seniors who use this facility, so we're all sharing this community space!

Plan for transition time: Will you need time to decorate or set up? Clean up? Plan for that when you're looking for a room that will work for you.

The calendar is for viewing only: When you're ready to request a room, reserve below.

Please call at least two weeks before your event. A month or more for bigger events would be dreamy. With the heavy demand for our rooms, we use that time to iron out details of the contract, arrange for staffing, and ensure custodial and other required services are lined up.

Sponsors

Partially funded by the City of Madison, CDBG, The United Way and the Goodman Foundation

Proud to be an AmeriCorps service site and an affiliate of Girls Inc. for Greater Madison

The Goodman Community Center is a private nonprofit. We carry the Goodman name with pride and happily share it with other Madison-area organizations, but we are not affiliated with them.